I was born in Druzhkovka, Donetsk region. In 1998, I repented, and in 2001, I was baptized together with my wife Tatyana. Starting around 2008, God began to show me the lost people living in other countries.
In 2010, we served in Damascus, Syria, but when the war broke out, we had to leave the country. We prayed for God to give us a new place to serve. And He answered our prayers by directing us to Egypt. For five years, we ministered in the land of the pharaohs. Our work was varied: with Bedouins in the desert, helping Egypt’s poor and destitute, serving in children’s shelters and orphanages, sharing personal testimonies, going on evangelistic trips to Egyptian villages, and also working with Slavic people living in Egypt. Within a year, a Slavic Baptist Church was established, and I was ordained for pastoral ministry.
After five years of service, Egypt’s security authorities became aware of our work and denied us entry into the country when we tried to cross the border again.
In response to our prayers, the Lord opened a new place of ministry for His glory — in Cambodia, where we work with children and have opened a children’s shelter! Please pray for us and our ministry!
My health has worsened, and I had some tests done. It turns out I have issues with blood sugar, cholesterol, and other indicators. I know I need strength and good health to continue the ministry. I ask you to pray that God would heal and strengthen me. Thank you for your friendship! Proverbs 17:17 — “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
This week, I’ve had a deep inner conflict. On one hand, I feel great joy. We celebrated an anniversary — our child development center turned one year old. We’ve built a wonderful team of 15 teachers, psychologists, and volunteers. There are 119 students enrolled in our center. Over 150 people came to our birthday celebration. I am extremely happy. This is a real church, a real ministry, a real influence.
But this week also brought deep sorrow into my heart. I can’t understand how to rejoice while feeling such intense pain in my soul. It feels like I’m in a battle with the devil. He is killing children, and I am trying to give them hope and a future. But whatever I do, it feels like it’s not enough.
I ask you to pray for me. And I also ask you to support our ministry. Praying for you.
At the beginning of February, we held a training session for kindergarten teachers! It was a great joy for me to teach on the topic “A Community Built on Love”, while our team of teachers from Promise Land eagerly joined in, leading seminars on “The Heart of a Teacher,” “The Value of a Child,” “Lesson Planning,” “Teamwork,” and many other topics.
As a result, two weeks flew by like a single day! On graduation day, many, with tears in their eyes, thanked the Lord and us for this incredible opportunity to gain so many practical skills.
Our big vision is for every Promise Land church (and there are six of them, as a reminder) to have its own kindergarten—not only to teach children literacy but also to reach their parents with the Gospel! This year, we plan to open three such kindergartens in the villages of Obura, Mamarai, and Asas.
Just a week after the training, the first-ever Christian kindergarten in the district was launched in Obura and Mamarai! Please pray for the children and the newly trained teachers, that they may successfully apply the knowledge they have gained.
Kristina is a little girl diagnosed with Down syndrome and leukemia. She is only two years old, she doesn’t speak, but she feels and understands everything very well. When I come to the hospital ward, she climbs into my arms, and we just walk around in silence. Then she starts communicating in her own way and playing with us. Her mother prayed with us during one of our meetings and decided to entrust the situation to God—this is very important for everyone! We support them both spiritually and materially.
Another friend of mine is Oleg. He is seven years old and is staying at the hospital with his grandmother. He is a unique child—every time he teaches me all sorts of fun kids’ things, and I teach him to pray and not lose heart. He will soon need to travel to St. Petersburg for a bone marrow transplant. They are struggling financially, so we will be raising funds for them and will most likely accompany them on their journey.
This month, I visited three orphanages and formed a team from orphanage graduates. This was very valuable because graduates are more relatable to the children and can work with them more effectively!
Brothers and sisters, my heart overflows with joy when I see God’s work in the hearts of these children. Thank you for being with us all these eight years, for helping and praying. I truly need you!
Every year, we organize children’s camps for the kids in Palana, Kamchatka! Despite all the challenges and inconveniences, God abundantly blesses us!
Here is a testimony from one mother:
_“I don’t know what happened to my daughter, but she has been surprising me for two days now. She is completely different! Before the camp, we talked a lot about the future, life, what she wants, who she wants to become, what she likes. First, she wanted to be a teacher, then a producer, then an actress. In the end, she realized she didn’t know what profession suited her.
But when she returned from the camp, she was so light, joyful, glowing, her eyes sparkled, and she smiled—it felt like she had found something meaningful, something that truly resonated with her heart. She told me she wanted to start going to church—if I didn’t mind. And I said, ‘How could I be against it, especially if she enjoys it?’
I asked her, ‘What exactly do you like?’
She answered, ‘The communication, that I can talk to everyone as an equal, that people listen to me, smile, and explain the Gospel.’
In short, my daughter is shining with joy! Thank you so much for this! She is growing up, and if she stays close to you, it will only help me raise her. You teach so many important things there!”_
Thank you for being with us—even in distant Kamchatka!
Everything has its time, and this spring, we received yet another blessing from the Lord—the blessing of Dominika, a baby girl born into a family from our church.
While we primarily serve local Vietnamese people and indigenous tribes, we also have a Russian-speaking congregation of about 30 people, including residents and tourists.
Artem and Ilena have lived here for over two years and have been attending church for more than a year. Artem works in video editing, while Ilena is a hairdresser. She once battled cancer, and doctors told her she would never be able to have children. They have a 20-year-old daughter who already lives independently, and now—by God’s miracle—they have been blessed with another baby girl, whom we joyfully dedicated today.
Over the past three months, we have dedicated five babies, and two more were recently born, waiting to be blessed. The most recent baby boy was born just a week ago to Chung and Hien, our brother and sister from the Raglai tribe. Please pray for these families.
Dear friends, from the depths of our hearts, we thank you for your support and prayers, which fill the cup of God’s blessings and overflow to meet every need. We praise the Lord that together, we can do so much!
